


Finally

by SansationalSans



Category: Miraculous Ladybug
Genre: Drama, Multi, Romance, Will the others find out?
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-03-19
Updated: 2019-09-07
Packaged: 2019-11-25 19:40:25
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 21
Words: 17,391
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18170585
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/SansationalSans/pseuds/SansationalSans
Summary: “Lucky Charm!” Ladybug yelled.“Nothing? It didn’t even give me an item!” Ladybug cried.“I told you, Ladybug.” Mirror Master called from nowhere. “There is no escape. You are going to change back before long, and when that happens, I will be here to take your miraculouses for Hawk Moth.”*Beep-Beep*Both of the heroes’ miraculouses sound, indicating an impending detransformation.“She’s right. There is nothing we can do!” Ladybug whispers, “and soon she’ll know our identities too.”  Ladybug slides to the floor defeated. Chat sits next to Ladybug, putting his arm around her. They sat like that until with a final beep and a twinkle, the both changed back.





	1. Intro

**Author's Note:**

> So, this is my first fanfiction ever. Please don't judge it too harshly. I just love the whole identity situation in the show, so I tried my best to keep their banter as true to the characters as I could get them. I love this show, and the characters. I will not be writing the intimate romantic relations between any couples. Enjoy!

Ladybug and Chat Noir stood beside each other by a defeated Recurser. The corrupted butterfly flew from the host and was swiftly caught by Ladybug’s yo-yo.

“Bye-bye, little butterfly!” called Ladybug, releasing the de-evilized butterfly and simultaneously fixing the surrounding damage.

“Another bady taken down. We make a good team, My Lady.” said Chat Noir with a bow.

“Yes, Kitty. We do make a good team. Pound it!” The two heros fist bump.

*Beep! Beep!*  
That noise was the sound of Ladybug’s Miraculous telling her she was going to transform back into her civilian clothes, revealing her identity. “I got to go. See you tomorrow, Kitty!”

“Wait!” Chat blurted, grabbing her arm. “Please stay.”

“You know I can’t.” She replied sadly. “I need to go.” With that, she looked away and pulled her arm free from his grip. Without a back glance, she ran through Paris’ seemingly endless streets.

Laying in bed, Marinette watched Tikki, her Kwami eat a piece of cake. Tikki was a small floating creature who looked like a ladybug. She was the source of her powers; the one who made her Ladybug.

“He knows why we can’t know each other’s identities, Tikki! Why would he even ask! It’s not that I don’t want to know, but it is a secret for a reason!”

“I know, Marinette; but I’m sure you can trust him.”

“Yeah, I know that. I do trust him, I’m just not ready to tell him yet. I haven’t even told Alya!”

“It’s fine not to be ready. Nobody is forcing you to tell anyone.”

She smiled at her tiny floating friend. “Maybe I will tell him someday, when I’m ready.


	2. Awkward

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More setting the stage work in this chapter. I promise that it gets more interesting soon! ;)

The school day is starting soon, and Marinette is walking there with her best friend, Alya.

  
Alya is always by Marinette’s side, making her laugh and providing moral support when needed. Now was one of those times. Adrien Agreste is a clothing model who takes fencing, is super rich, super nice, super cute, and best of all, Marinette had a huge crush on him. And he was walking their way.

  
“Hey, Marinette!” he called to her, waving with a smile. He had the most beautiful green eyes that she had ever seen, with perfectly styled blond hair and straight white teeth.

  
“O-oh! Hey Adrien! What are you doing here?” She stumbled awkwardly.

  
“I...um…go to school here?” he answered, slightly confused.

  
“Right! Of course! I knew that! Your with me! I mean- not with me, with me. I mean, you’re in the same class as me. We’re together in class, but we’re not together. No! That would be crazy! Hehe!” Marinette blushed with embarrassment and looked away. Adrien only chuckled to himself and smiled at her.

  
“See you later, Marinette.” He turned and walked away.

  
“You did great, girl!” Alya cheered, beaming. “You talked to Adrien, and were mostly coherent, too!” Marinette was too embarrassed to respond.

  
*Ring!*

  
“Time for class!” Alya prompted, steering her friend in the direction of the classroom.


	3. Villains

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> It finally kicks off

The two girls walked into the classroom and started to head to their usual seats behind Nino and Adrien.

“Sabrina! Where is my coffee?” Chloe yelled, just outside the room.

“Coming, Chloe!” Sabrina appeared in the doorway coffee in hand, looking exhausted. She hurried to Chloe’s side, yawning as she ran. She tripped over a desk and spilled the coffee on Chloe. The background talk in the classroom stopped. All eyes were on the scene, knowing drama was about to unfold, judging by Chloe’s horrified and furious scream.

“Oh, My, God, Sabrina! You ruined my outfit! This outfit cost moer that your entire house! Ugh! Get out of my way!” Chloe pushed Sabrina to the floor in her rush to the bathroom. Sabrina, now in tears, covered in spilled coffee from the floor, ran out the door as well.

“Well… That happened.” Said Alya, breaking the stunned silence of the room.

“Yeah, poor Sabrina. That wasn’t her fault! Chloe can be so mean!” Nino replied. There were several nodding heads from around the classroom at that statement. Chloe was not a class favorite, in fact she bullied pretty much everybody, including her own father. “She is just a spoiled little rich girl who thinks that the whole world exists to serve her.” Nino replied a little bitterly, crossing his arms. “I wonder why Sabrina stays friends with her.”

“I hope Sabrina is okay” Marinette whispered to Alya as the teacher walked in.

Sabrina was sitting on the school bathroom floor, still sobbing. “Oh, Chloe is so mean! I try to be her friend and what does she do for me? Nothing!” She was getting angry now. “Why am I always being pushed around by bullies? Chloe focuses so much on looking pretty that she doesn’t realize how horrible she is.”

*Hawk Moth's lair*

“Yes… People spend too much time making themselves look good on the outside, never noticing their true ugliness on the inside. Fly away my little Akuma, and evilize her!” The akuma possesses Sabrina by flying in her handheld mirror. “Mirror Master. I am Hawk Moth. I gave you the power to make people see what they truly look like. In exchange, you must get me Ladybug and Chat Noir’s miraculous’!”

Mirror Master grins in the mirror. “Yes Hawk Moth.”


	4. Hopeless

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Here we go...
> 
> I hope you guys are enjoying this. I have been making one of my friends check this stuff for spelling errors and stuff, and she actually posts here. If and when she reads this, and I get her permission, I may post her archive name and works. She is pretty great. Enjoy!

Mirror Master is in the classroom. She was dressed in a silver and black skin tight suit, with goggles on. She was floating off the ground on a mirror.

“Chloe! I have had enough of you and everyone that is prettier than me bossing me around! It is time for you to see what you really look like!” Mirror Master holds up a mirror to show Chloe and immediately she morphed into a hideous, fat pink troll.

“Ah! What have you done to me?” Chloe screams.

“I have only showed you what everyone else has seen for years. You are nothing but a horrifying troll! Ahahaha! Now it is time for all of Paris and the world to share your fate!”

Marinette and Adrien- and the rest of the class- have been staring on in shock. Now they come to their senses and find somewhere private to transform.

-A few minutes later-

The heroes reunited in a funhouse room filled with mirrors.

“Hey, Kitty!” called Ladybug.

“Hello, Bugaboo! responded Chat Noir.

“Let’s finish this quickly”

“It won’t be that easy to catch me, Ladybug!” Mirror Master’s voice seemed to come from nowhere, and everywhere at once. Then Mirror Master appeared in every single funhouse mirror. Without even a word, Ladybug and Chat Noir broke every mirror in the room. Mirror Master just stepped out from behind one of the mirrors while slow clapping.

“Well, that was SMASHING!”

Ladybug groaned, “ And I thought only Chat made puns!” she said with a hint of exasperation toward the seemingly endless supply of puns her partner had.

“Don’t worry, Ladybug,” Mirror master smiled,”You’ll have plenty of time to reflect on our amazing jokes where you’re going.”

Suddenly mirrors appeared, from floor to ceiling, completely surrounding the two heros. Mirror Master had disappeared.

“There’s no way out!” cried Ladybug, trying to smash her way out with her yo-yo. “Maybe your Cataclysm will work. Give it a try.”

“Anything for you, My Lady. CATACLYSM!” Chat yelled. He scratched the mirror and……..nothing happened. “What? It didn’t work!” Laughter echoed around the room.

“You didn’t really think it would be that easy, did you? You’re stuck here!”

“Ladybug,” Chat said, his usual carefree demeanor gone, replaced by a worried look “maybe you should try your Lucky Charm?”

After Cataclysm failed, neither of them were really feeling very hopeful about this, but they had to try.

“Lucky Charm!” Ladybug yelled. “Nothing? It didn’t even give me an item!” Ladybug cried.

“I told you, Ladybug.” Mirror Master called from nowhere. “There is no escape. You are going to change back before long, and when that happens, I will be here to take your miraculouses for Hawk Moth.”

*Beep-Beep* Both of the heroes’ miraculouses sound, indicating an impending detransformation.

“She’s right. There is nothing we can do!” Ladybug whispers, “and soon she’ll know our identities too.”

Ladybug slides to the floor defeated. Chat sits next to Ladybug, putting his arm around her. They sat like that until with a final beep and a twinkle, the both changed back.


	5. Revealed

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> basically just a lot of sap and stereo types

“Don’t look, Chat, please.” Said Marinette, with her head between her knees.

“Don’t worry, My Lady. I would never think to do anything that would hurt you.”

“Thank you, Chat.”

“Hahahaha! Perfect. Now you can’t stop me! Hand over your Miraculouses!” Mirror Master’s voice echoed. She stepped out of one of the mirrors and came towards the heroes. At the sound of her voice, both Adrien and Marinette jumped up to face her, eyes instinctively open, forgetting that neither of them were in their suits.

“Oops” Said Adrien.

“Oops” said Marinette.

“Oops” Mimicked Mirror Master, “Did I ruin you little secrets, Marinette and Adrien?"

The teens stared at each other, trying to process what they were seeing. Theywere surprised and deeply concerned by their identities being revealed.

“M-Marinette?” Adrien stuttered.

“A-Adrien?” Marinette stuttered back.

“Ladybug/Chat Noir was you?” They both asked their questions at the same time.

“Yes, yes. We got it, thank you! This is so very shocking. Not it is time to hand over your miraculous!” Mirror Master responded boredly.

“Right, well, we can talk about this later. Right now we need to take down this Akuma!” Yelled Marinette.

“Good plan, but, uh, how will we do that? We don’t have our suits or our powers!” exclaimed Adrien. “Our Kuamis are still tired!”

“True, but maybe we can defeat her like this.” Marinette whispered. She then raised her voice.

“Hey Mirror Master! What is your plan here? Every Akumatized person has a goal. What’s yours?”

“You always were a fool, Marinette.” Mirror Master replied. “ I play to show everyone how horrible and ugly they are on the inside. People spend way too much time on what they look like on the outside and never see how much they affect and hurt others. Chloe was first, and now it is your turn!”

She fires a beam of light energy at Marinette, who couldn’t dodge in time because she wasn’t in her suit. When the beam hit her, she glowed and transformed. Her hair came out of her ponytails and re-did itself into two braids down the side of her head, and ended in a bun. Her clothes were smoothed and cleaned of the dust that had collected from sitting on the floor. She let off this light glow that made her feel inviting and warm. She didn’t turn into a monster. In fact, she was even more beautiful than before.

“What!? That should have worked! Why aren't you a horrible monster?” Snarled Mirror Master menacingly.

“I think I understand!” Adrien said, “She has a beautiful heart who puts others before herself, as both Ladybug and Marinette, so the beam matched her beauty on the outside.” He blushed suddenly, realizing what he had just said. “I mean, she is always beautiful. I mean, she looks nice! Er- whatever!” He blushed even harder, and avoided Marinette’s surprised and slightly amused gaze.

“Ugh, fine! I’ll settle for you, Adrien Agreste! Ha!”

She fired another shot, this time aimed at Adrien. Like Marinette, the light didn’t turn him into a troll, but fixed his mussed up hair, and gave him a bit of a glow too.

“That wasn’t all that surprising. Both Chat and Adrien are amazing people. They are funny, charming and always have my back. They don’t ever judge me.” Marinette smiled, managing to catch Adrien’s still embarrassed eyes.

“Hey, Marinette, I’m all charged up again.” Tikki said.

“Me too!” Plagg echoed. “Great! Tikki, Spots on!”

“Plagg, claws out!”

The teens were back in their costumes and stood side by side facing the Akuma.

“There is nowhere to run, Mirror Master!” Called Ladybug. “We’ll get you this time!”

“Yeah! You tell her, Ladybug! Let’s go!” Chat yelled.

He leaped at Mirror Master, who was still surprised that they changed back so quickly, didn’t have enough time to react. He body slammed her, knocking her backwards. 

Chat landed on her floating mirror and started to fight her hand to hand. He had landed some solid hits, and was able to dodge most of her attacks. The ones that did land were painful but tolerable. Ladybug swung her yo-yo and hooked it on the floating mirror. With a heave, she pulled it to the ground, knocking Mirror Master off her floating mirror and made her drop her handheld one.

Ladybug waltzed over and smashed the mirror to pieces. The Akuma flew out and Ladybug quickly caught it in her yo-yo.

“Bye-bye little butterfly! Miraculous Ladybug!” The mirror box surrounding them disappeared, along with the glow surrounding the heroes. Sabrina groaned and sat up.

“Ugh!” Hawk Moth grunts angrily, “You have won this time, heroes, but next time you may not be so lucky.”

“What happened?” When she saw Ladybug and Chat Noir she started apologising for causing trouble. “I was just so mad at Chloe- I hope she isn’t too mad at me. I should tell her that I’m sorry.”

“You don’t have to. You don’t have to stay with her and do everything for her, you know.” Ladybug told her.

“I know, but she is my best friend, and I am hers. I should go. Thanks again!” As Sabrina leaves, Ladybug and Chat Noir turn to face each other.

“Pound it!” Ladybug and Chat Noir say in unison.

“So… We should talk.” Chat says.

“Yeah, we should.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> commenter Sturmzahn gave me some cool suggestions for changes, so shout out to them for the edit.


	6. Everything is totally normal

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien go back to school. Will they act natural now that they know, or will they be friendly to each other? Will anybody notice there is something different?

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. I wanted to give a shout out to my good friend FandomHarmony. She is my friend irl, and she has work on here. If you guys are part of the supernatural or Harry Potter fandoms, give her fic An Angel In Witches Robes a try. I am reading it myself and am blown away and sucked in all at the same time. Thanks, enjoy!

The next day at school, everyone was talking as usual, in the classroom, about the latest Akuma attack, and how it was one of their classmates.

Sabrina walked in slowly, head hung low, in a shy or embarrassed way. When she saw Chloe, she ran over to her and begged her to forgive her. Marinette saw this happen and could only shake her head. She would never understand why Sabrina stayed friends with Chloe when she treats her so horribly. These thoughts flew from her mind when she saw Adrien.

He looked great as usual, his clothes perfectly tailored, washed and pressed; cute blond hair flawlessly styled. How it flows when he walks and blows in the wind. His amazing green eyes that sparkle like emeralds in the sun. Adrien caught Marinette’s eye and smiled. A gorgeous smile that lit up his whole perfect face, making him look even more beautiful.

“Hey, Marinette!” He said, breaking her from her trance.

“Hey, Adrien! Nice to see you!” ‘Remember that this is Chat, Marinette told herself, he is goofy and nice and won’t judge you. “How are you?”

“I’m great! It is such a **paw-some** day today, I cat hardly believe it!” He winked at her and she just inwardly groaned. Definitely Chat.

<Ring! (The school bell rang)> “I’ll see you after class, Marinette!”

“See you later!” She responded, still a little freaked out that she and Adrien held a conversation, even if he is her partner.

“OMG, Girl! You talked to Adrien! Without stuttering! What changed?” Alya asked.

“Oh, I don’t know, Alya. I just finally realized that he is a person, and while he is cute, he isn’t perfect. And he didn’t yell at me or anything, so…”

“Still! You had an honest to goodness conversation with him, even if you two really only said hi. We should get to class, but we are definitely talking about this later.”

‘Finally!’ Alya screamed internally.

The two girls sat in their usual spots in the second row, right behind Adrien and Nino. The boys glanced back at the girls, at Marinette, then turned to each other and whispered. After a moment, Nino looked back at Marinette in astonishment. Marinette shifted uncomfortable in her seat.

Adrien didn’t tell Nino her secret, did he? No, he wouldn’t do that. He was Chat Noir, her best friend, besides Alya. And he was Chat, so nothing to worry about. But no matter what she told herself, the doubt still lingered. Class was pretty uneventful, as usual. However, as Marinette was packing up to go home, Adrien came over to talk.

“Hey, Marinette,” he said, “I was wondering if you wanted to see a movie.” He rubbed his head nervously. “You don’t have to go, but I kinda wanted to talk some more, and I enjoy spending time with you, bugga-” He stopped, quickly catching himself from saying his oh, so famous line. That was close. If somebody had heard him, they could connect the dots between him and Chat Noir, which may lead to them figuring out Ladybug’s identity too. Marinette blushed and stood rigid from the complement and the shock.

Alya, who had been listening to their entire conversation jumped in and said that Marinette would love to. She then pushed her friend and Adrien out the door, telling the couple to have lots of fun. Marinette just blinked twice, slowly, trying to figure out what just happened and why she and Adrien were standing next to each other outside the classroom. Recovering, she looked at Adrien, who also looked a little confused as well. He shook his head, smiling at Alya’s antics and offered his hand to Marinette.

“So, my lady, I guess we should go.”


	7. The Date and Aftermath

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien go on their date, and they spill some of the feelings that they have been holding in for a while. Enjoy!

The movie theater was fairly empty, except for a few other young couples, so they sat in the back. This was partly because the seats were better and they wouldn’t have to stare up at the screen for two hours, but also because Adrien Agreste was still a celebrity, and wanted as few people to see him as possible. He remembered the last time they went to the movies and saw the movie his mother starred in. He had enjoyed himself even though the trip there was- difficult- and they had both looked ridiculous, but that was what he loved about it. Marinette didn’t like him just for his last name like Chloe did. She was different, she knew about his true self and stayed. She may not love the puns, but she liked him and that was what mattered.

Marinette looked around at the near empty theater and asked “What are we seeing? It doesn’t look very popular.

“It’s an action movie with some romance sprinkled in. I thought you might like it, plus I have been wanting to see this one for a while.” Adrien leaned back, “My father has been watching me pretty closely, lately. It has gotten harder and harder to sneak out to do anything. To see a movie, or protect Paris.” He looked at Marinette, “So, I wanted some time  to talk with you and to get to know the girl under the mask. And I was hoping…” He looked away for a second, then looked back, continuing, “You might want to get to know me too. I know Ladybug has no interest in Chat Noir, but I was hoping that Marinette might have some interest in Adrien?”

“Adrien… *sigh*” She looks away before continuing, “Ladybug loves spending time with Chat, and Marinette has had a crush on Adrien for some time….” Adrien’s heart was lifting off of the ground. Was she really about to say yes? Marinette takes a deep breath. “Maybe we can make this work.”

Adrien smiles and puts an arm around his new girlfriend and turns to watch the movie.

 

* * *

  
  


The next day, Marinette woke up in her room with a smile. She and Adrien had gone on a date! An actual date, not just hanging out. She sat up and hugged her pillow with a starstruck smile and a faraway look on her face.

“Oh, Tikki! Adrien is Chat! This whole time, Adrien had been flirting with me and I didn’t even know it! I even rejected him! He is so sweet, though, he kept coming back and trying again. He is such a sweet, funny, charmer. I didn’t know that Adrien had such a sense of humor before we learned each other’s identities. And he has a crush on me too! Can you believe it?” She pauses before continuing, slower now with worry in her voice. “ Oh, but what I say something wrong and he hates me forever? I’ll have lost both Adrien and Chat!” She falls back on the bed, burying her face in her pillow, despairing over a breakup that hasn’t even happened yet.

“Everything will be ok, Marinette. He doesn’t hate you.” Tikki says, trying to stop the spiral of worry.

“How do you know?” Marinette askes, her voice muffled by her pillow.

“He just pulled into your driveway!”

“What!?” She squeeks, and falls off the bed in surprise. Her mom called up from the bakery, announcing Adrien’s presence. “What does he want, Tikki? To break up with me?”

“I don’t know, but we should go find out!” Tikki hid in Marinette’s purse, just in case.

“Send him up, please mom!” Marinette calls. About 30 seconds later, Adrien  opens the trapdoor to her room and steps in. “Hey, Adrien. Whats up?”

“Hey, Mari! I just came over to walk you to school. Do you mind?” Adrien smiles, offering his hand out to her in a way that reminded the young girl of Aladdin asking Jasmine if she trusted him. Marinette did trust him, and she always would.

“Perfect! In a minute, though. There is someone I want you to meet. This is Tikki.” The little red ladybug Kwami flew out to meet Adrien.

“Hello, Adrien. Since you know our secret, you may as well meet me. I am Tikki, the Ladybug Miraculous.” Tikki said, bowing.

“Nice to meet you, Tikki! You’re so cute, and friendly too. My Kwami doesn’t show his affection as openly. Say hi, Plagg!”

Plagg, the Kwami of destruction looked like a black cat with green eyes. He just stuck his head out of Adrien’s pocket and said, “Hi, Plagg.”

“Nice to meet you too.” Marinette giggled. Plagg was so different from Tikki. She turned to Adrien, “We should probably head to school.”

“Yeah, It would be great to have some company on the walk over.” He offers his hand again, and this time she takes it with a giggle. They walk out of the house holding hands.


	8. Confrontation

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien are confronted by Chloe and Alya

The school was right around the block from Marinette’s house, and it was a warm morning. They took their time and enjoyed the walk and each other. When they did make it to school, many of the students were already there and were relaxing on the grass or at tables. When Adrien arrived, all the girls looked over to swoon and talk to him, but pulled up short when they saw Marinette. Marinette looked at her classmates and their stunned faces. She couldn’t blame them. The shy girl, together with the model. It was an odd match, she knew, but that didn’t make her any less embarrassed. She never liked being the center of attention like this. Her attitude changed a little bit, though when she saw Chloe. 

Chloe turned around to them and was visibly taken aback. She looked between Adrien, Marinette to their intertwined hands, and her face changed from surprised to furious.

“Adrikins!” Chloe yelled, stomping towards the couple. Marinette squeezed Adrien’s hand in anticipation, and he looked at her a little confused. He still hadn’t fully realized how Chloe’s behavior had impacted others. “What are you doing with her? Whatever, it doesn’t matter. You can come with me instead. You shouldn’t be seen with such trash.” Marinette lowered her head a little in shame, and as though attempting to protect herself from more abuse. Adrien noticed the change in his partner’s behavior, stood taller and puffed out his chest a little in defiance.

“That wasn’t a very nice thing to say, Chloe. Mari’s pretty cool. Way cooler than you give her credit for being.” Chloe opened her mouth to respond, but Adrien cut her off by continuing. “She is smart and brave. Kind and compassionate.  I am tired of hearing your rude comments about her and others. Be nice!”

Before she could even recover from her shock, Adrien led Marinette by the hand away from her. “You OK, Bugaboo?” he whispered to her when they had walked far enough away.

“I’m OK, Kitty. Thanks for that. I am just so tired of Chloe and her insults. I just want to yell in her face, but instead I keep the facade of a timid, clumsy girl to keep my identity safe. Although, I respond in genuinely timid ways more than I would like to admit. I just-”

“Hey, Marinette!” It was Alya. She was racing towards them at top speed. “Hey, Adrien” She continued, saying his name, teasing slightly. “Look at you, Mari! Standing next to Adrien Agreste without blushing! You’re even holding hands! Good for you! You deserve it, girl!” Marinette blushes a little as if just realizing that she and Adrien are still holding hands.

“Hey, Alya!” Adrien smiled, enjoying watching Alya tease Marinette.  “The movie went great, so I decided to pick her up for school today.”

“I’m glad. You two are amazing together. You are like a super couple.” That comment made the couple shift nervously. “You are both so cute, imagine what the babies will look like!” She continued quickly, “Well I should get ready for class! See you later, Mari!” Alya quickly ran away as quickly as she came, leaving Marinette and Adrien standing there, staring at were Alya had been, processing. Slowly their faces both turned a bright pink and the both let go of each other's hand quickly, and awkwardly walked away.

 

Class that day was full of blushing and avoided glances as Adrien knew that his lady was sitting right behind him, and he knew she was staring right at him.

It was impossible for him to focus, and was a relief when the bell finally rang. As he was packing up, Marinette was suddenly beside him.

“Adrien, are you free to come over today?” She blushed a moderate amount before straightening her back and reminding herself that this was Chat. She could do this. “I was just wondering if we could hang out?”

“Of course, Bug--- I mean Marinette! I would love too.”

“Good! My house in ten minutes then!” She turns around and exits the room, leaving everyone who had witnessed that (Chloe, Alya, Nino, Nathaniel and Alex) completely stunned. Adrien just smiled. She was definitely his Ladybug.


	9. Origin

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette and Adrien hang out and talk at Marinette's house.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that this chapter is so late. I have been busy with school and camps. I will try to keep up more. Have an amazing Easter everyone!

“So, my Lady… What are your plans of this fine evening?” Adrien asked, sitting on the couch, one foot on the couch, arm draped over a bent knee. When Marinette looked at him, he was giving her another of his Cheshire cat grins, and she could only roll her eyes in response.

“I had some ideas, which I will tell you in a minute. First I need to know what you and Nino were talking about this morning. I know it was about me. You didn’t tell him anything, did you?” She said, taking a seat next to Adrian on the couch.

“I didn’t tell him our secrets, no. I just told him that I had asked you out, and that you had accepted. I told him I liked you… and he told me that you have had a major crush on me for a while.”

“Oh… Good. I am glad it was only that. Anyway, my plan for tonight was to tell stories. Origin stories, kwami stories, or even regular stories to get to know each other better without the masks.”

“Very well,” He said slyly, “I’ll start.” He shifts so that both feet were on the floor, both arms resting on his legs, and bent over. After a pause, he pulled Plagg out of his shirt pocket. “I met Plagg about a year ago, that much you know.” Marinette nods. “I found this box on the floor in my room. I thought it was a gift from a fan or something, even though it was odd for it to be on the floor and not handed to me by Natalie. Anyway, I opened it and inside was Chat Noir’s ring.” He held up his hand and stared at the ring on his finger. “I was curious, as cats tend to be, and I put on the ring. Out flies Plagg” Adrien shoots and annoyed look at his little black partner, who was frantically searching for cheese, “who nonchalantly tells me that I am a superhero.” He pauses his story to see what Marinette was thinking. She was staring intently, wanting more of the story. “I jumped at the chance, and as soon  as he told me the code word, I repeated it quickly, donning my black leather outfit for the first time. It was on of the best days of my life.” Adrien was now looking at Plagg, who was still on his mad hunt for cheese, with a tender smile on his lips, lost in his memories.

“That’s it?” He turns to Marinette who had clearly spoken a little louder than she had intended.

“What do you mean?” asked Adrien, a little confused now.

“You just accepted it? You didn’t have any worry or doubts?” Her voice was softer now, more withdrawn and Adrien realized something.

“Did you doubt  yourself, Marinette? Doubt your Kwami’s decision to choose you?” Adrien’s brow slightly furrowed with worry, half turning to look at her.

Marinette looked down, hugging herself and answered, “Yes? It was all so much. I mean by the time you showed up with your Kwami, I had had mine for awhile already, so you were probably already used to the idea. Me- I was just thrown into everything. ‘Oh, hey, you’re a superhero now. You have to fight these super scary and dangerous Akumas alone! Don’t worry that you have no experience! Everything is fine!’” 

She sighed. “I got my box after helping an old man who was about to be hit by a bus. He told me that I had a good heart and I guess he slipped it into my bag. When I got home I opened it, met Tikki and was really scared. The whole of Paris, maybe even France or the whole world was resting on my shoulders. I wasn’t prepared for that. I actually took out the earrings and put them back in the box.

“I only realized that it was a mistake after the first Akuma showed up. I had to help, even though I had no idea what I was doing. I walked into battle terrified, but I made it out ok. I still wasn’t sure about the whole thing, but I kept going until you showed up. Your presence reassured me. Made me believe that I could be a hero.”

Adrien started, stunned. For once his quick wit and puns failed him. He didn’t know what to say.

“Wow…” Adrien said, “I had no idea. I’m sorry I hadn’t shown up sooner. I never knew that the Ladybug on the screen who looked so confident was so worried. I can’t  do anything about the past, but I can promise you that I will always be there to protect and support you, Marinette.”

Marinette looked at him and could tell that he was being completely honest. She gave him a timid smile. “Thanks, Kitty.”

“Anytime, Bugaboo.”

They sat like that, just enjoying each other’s company, for about ten minutes, because Adrien’s father called and he had to leave.


	10. Truth or Dare

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir play Truth or Dare

Patrol the next morning was fairly quiet, giving the pair another chance to talk.

“I have an idea!” Chat Noir said, while taking a break to sit on a roof, “Let’s play truth or dare. We never played before because of the whole identity thing, but that can’t stop us now! I’ll even let you ask me the first question.”

“Are you sure?” Ladybug asked uncertainty.

“Of course! It’ll be fun, and it will help to take our minds of everything.”

“Ok… truth or dare?”

“Mmm… truth.”

“Alright, um are you actually friends with Chloe?”

Chat started to laugh, “That’s your question? Not really. I used to be, but that was before I realized what actual friendship looks like and how real friends act. Chloe is used to ordering other people around and getting her way. She used to be better. Anyway, truth or dare, Ladybug?”

“Dare.”

“Do a flip!” He yelled,  pumping both fists into the air while jumping to his feet.

“Really?” She asked, “I do them to dodge villain attacks all the time.” Seeing Chat’s grinning face, she sighs and does a backflip. In fact, she did three in a row. “Satisfied?”

“That was  **_PAW_ ** sitively  **_PURR_ ** fect.”

“Truth or dare?”

“Dare”

“I dare you to keep from making puns for the rest of the night.” She said with a smirk.

Chat was stunned again. No puns? He recovered as quickly as he could and responded with a “Fine. Truth or Dare?”

“Truth”

“Did you ever have feelings for Chat, or only Adrien? You always pushed him away, brushed him off or scoffed at his puns. Did you even consider him?”

“Truth or dare?”

Chat was hurt. That was an honest question. “You didn’t even answer my question!”

“Truth or dare?”

He sighed. “Dare”

“I dare you to kiss me.”

“What?” She had done it again. Three times in one day she had stunned him to silence. Only Ladybug could do this to him, he was usually so cool and calm. “Kiss you?”

“You asked me if I ever had feelings for Chat. I did. He is my best friend. Adrien is a sweet and kind boy, but was nothing like Chat. Adrien was always so intimidating to me. I couldn’t even form a sentence around him, but I could talk to Chat. He could always make me laugh and forget about my problems. I didn’t want to lose such a good friend if a relationship didn’t work out.”

“I would always stay your friend, My Lady. You’re important to me too. You’re the only one I can really be myself around, even as Chat. With Chat, people expect a funny, carefree hero who makes jokes all the time, and I do... but sometimes I feel like nobody takes me seriously. I am either bad luck or a joke. I am expected to make jokes as Chat, and to be a perfect model son as Adrien. With you, I don’t have expectations. I can really  be the true me.”

“Chat…” Ladybug said softly, “I didn’t know you were under so much pressure.. Isn’t there someone you can talk to? One of your parents?”

Chat looks at her, with a sad smile. “Do you know who my father is?”

“Oh, right. What about your mother?”

“My mother died years ago, and I have nobody to talk to, no other family. My father doesn’t talk to me unless he wants something from me.”

“I’m sorry. I didn’t realise how bad it was.”

“It’s alright. I am used to being alone. It is nice to talk to someone about it though.” Adrien thought for a moment, then quickly leaned in and kissed Ladybug on the lips.   
“What?” Ladybug said, dumbstruck.

Chat smiled. He kissed his lady. Finally! “You dared me to, remember? Plus  I---” He stopped suddenly, listening. “Run!” He shouted, jumping up, dragging a surprised Ladybug from the edge of the roof.


	11. Things Take a Turn

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat has to handle a battle alone for the first time.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I just want to take a moment to shout out my good friend FandomHarmony. She and I are best friends IRL and she also has an account here. She has a Supernatural/Harry Potter fic called An Angel in Witches Robes, and I really love it. She knows I read it and she wrote me and some of my friends into the story. I really recomend that you check her stuff out, and if your reading this, Rachel, your welcome for the shout out. Please show her love and support. Enjoy the chapter!

“Run!” Chat shouted, jumping up, dragging a surprised Ladybug from the edge of the roof. 

That was when Ladybug saw what Chat was running from. A man had climbed up onto the roof. He was clearly and Akuma. He was wearing some fairly normal clothes, just sweatpants and a sweatshirt, but he had white pointed dog ears and a white and gray tail. He was wearing a dog whistle around his neck.

All this Ladybug noticed in the split second that she risked a backward glance on her way to the other side of the roof.

After they had turned to face the new threat, he introduced himself. “I am the Dog Walker! Humans are horrible beasts that are destroying the ecosystem. Dogs do not hunt for sport, or destroy forests. Dogs, with by help, shall rise up to rule and save the world!” He blew into his whistle and Ladybug couldn’t really hear it, but Chat hunched over crying out in pain as he tried to cover his ears to drown out the noise.

The whistle stopped and as Chat recovered, dogs from all over the neighborhood started barking and breaking free of their houses and leashes, running down the allyway towards the Dog Walker.

There was a scream, and the heroes looked to see a little girl around six years old being surrounded  by growling dogs. Without hesitation, Ladybug called out, “Lucky Charm!,” and a large dog bone appeared in her hand.

She threw the bone to distract the dogs so the little girl could get inside.

*Beep Beep*

Dang it! Now she was going to detransform. “Chat! I need to find somewhere to change. Keep him and the dogs distracted until I get back.”

“You got it, Ladybug. I can be very distracting when I want to be, but hurry back!” Ladybug ran off, leaving Chat to handle the Akuma.

Chat jumped to the ground to get the attention of the dogs. It didn’t take long. He stuck his tongue out at them and started to run.

 

Why did it have to be dogs? Chat had never liked dogs, and Plagg’s fear of them was really not helping him concentrate.

There! A lamp post! He could climb up there and wait for Ladybug to come bac. He climbed up and perched at the top. He surveyed the area to kill time and to make sure there were no civilians around. There were about twenty-five or thirty dogs barking at the bottom of the lamp post. The hair on his neck stood up and his back arched a little, just looking at them. A low growl rose from his throat.

There were no people around, the locals knew from experience they probably shouldn’t stick around when there was an Akuma. The next street over, however, was ust as busy as usual. Nobody seemed to think anything of all the dogs barking. Chat knew he had to keep the dogs away from them.

That’s when he saw her- not his Lady, but Alya. She was standing on a parked car only a little way down the street. That girl had a sense for trouble it seemed. She was always front and center at every Akuma fight. She had been obsessed with Ladybug since she had appeared. Alya had even started her ‘Ladyblog’, where she posted pictures, videos and tweets of and about Ladybug. She was always around with her camera.

This was bad. It was bad enough that she was this close to them, but he was alone! He couldn’t convince her to leave either, he knew. Alya doesn’t listen to anybody while taking pictures but Ladybug.

Chat searched for a solution, and he realized  that the situation was about to get much worse. The dogs were losing interest in him and were turning their attention towards Alya. When the dogs saw her, they resumed their frenzied barking and started to run towards her.

Only after the dogs were so close that she could smell their breath, did she begin to worry. Sure, she was standing on a car, but some of the dogs were big enough to still reach her. Where was Ladybug?

She looked up to see Chat running on all fours across the rooftops to try to get to her quickly. He jumped, bounced on his extended staff, and landed on the car.

Alya grabbed on to him as soon as he landed, and he used his continued momentum to plant his staff on the ground and extend it, to vault the two of them onto the roof.

Well, that was the plan, anyway, but before they could vault away, one of the larger dogs jumped and snapped its jaws shut on Cat's leg. He cried out in pain and alarm, kicked the dog away and landed roughly on the roof. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry for the cliff hanger, but you know... ;)


	12. Wounded

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat needs to finish the battle wounded, luckily this time with Ladybug's help. Chat also yells at Alya for being careless.

Chat clutched his bleeding calf to asses the damage.

Not good. The wound was deep, it went through muscle. He winced and pushed himself up, putting no pressure on his leg, knowing it wouldn’t support him. He turned and saw Alya on her knees, looking over at the dogs with her camera out again, taking pictures. He limped over to her, angrily.

“Alya! What do you think your doing here? You could have been killed!”

Alya responded without even turning, “I was getting content for the Ladyblog.” Now she turns to look at him, and notices his leg. “OMG, are you OK?” She asked him, worried.

“No, Alya. I’m not. A dog bit me while I was saving you.” Alya looked at him, surprised and a little startled both by what he said and how angry he sounded. “You shouldn’t have been there. Ladybug asked me to keep the dogs distracted and to keep everyone safe while she was gone. I am doing everything I can over here.” 

Now Chat was calming down, and lowers his voice. “I can’t do everything. I’m not Ladybug. Either people don’t care about the black cat, or they are scared of the bad luck I bring.” He took a deep breath before continuing a little more confidently. “But I do my best, and it is easier for me to do my job when i’m not worrying about civilians.”

Chat looked over the side of the roof at the frustrated dogs. He smirked at them in triumph, then a twinge of pain turned it into a grimace. A flash of red caught his attention, and saw Ladybug land next to him.

“I’m back” Ladybug said, breathless. She paused noticing Alya, and looked at Chat Noir. When she saw the pain on his face, her eyes found the blood on his leg and the slow growing pool of blood beneath him. “Chat? Are you guys OK?” Ladybug asked worriedly.

“I’m fine, Ladybug.” Alya replied, still a little shaken up by Chat’s rant. “It’s Chat’s bood.”

“Chat?” She she said seriously, “Show me.”

He sighed, knowing that she was worried about him. He sat down heavily, resting his leg. He started to pull up his pant leg to show her the wound. “I’m OK, M’lady.” His reassurance was rendered ineffective as he winced.

There were several puncture wounds in his calf, all passing through muscle and some hitting bone. They were all bleeding fairly heavily. It would leave one nasty scar, and could even kill him if they don’t get him treated soon. Either way, it was very painful and he wouldn’t be able to fight crime or even walk properly for a while.

“Oh, no. I’m so sorry! This is all my fault! I shouldn’t have left you alone!” Ladybug cried.

“No it isn’t, Bugaboo. You were about to detransform, and I willingly distracted them for you. I got careless; it is my fault.”

Alya, who had been standing there silently, now spoke. “No, it was my fault. I shouldn’t have been so close. Chat saved me, and got hurt doing so. I’m sorry.”

“It’s OK, Alya. The wounds are deep, but he should be OK as long as he is treated soon. We just need to beat this Akuma.” Ladybug told her, resting her hand on the girl’s shoulder.

“The Akuma is in the whistle around his neck.” Alya said.

Ladybug nodded, they turned to Chat Noir. “Are you able to help.”

He flashed her a toothy grin, and said, “Always.” He shifted with some difficulty and pain into a crouch and started to run, on his hands and good leg, with Ladybug towards the enemy.

  
  


Chat was once again the distraction. He jumped off the roof, startling the Dog walker, who had been breaking into houses to free the dogs and to change the inhabitants into canines. This allowed Ladybug to rip off his whistle purify the butterfly.

The wave of creation swept away all the dogs, changed the humans back and leaving a very confused man holding the leashes of a few small dogs.

Not even giving the man a glance, Ladybug ran to her partner’s side to see how his leg was doing after the creation wave.

Both heroes were relieved to see that it had healed some, repairing the torn muscle, but disappointed to see that the wound was still there and bleeding.

Alya walked over smiling, because Ladybug saved the day again, but the smile faded when she saw Chat’s leg. “I thought the Lucky Charm would have been healed him. Why didn’t it?”

“It helped, but it isn’t a cure-all. I can fix objects, but living things have more trouble. That’s why we try to protect everyone and keep them safe.” Ladybug explained. She stood up, and turned to Alya, “I should get him home. Bye, Alya!” Ladybug helped Chat stand up on his good leg with his arms around his neck. She pulled out her yo-yo and flew away, Alya waving as they left.


	13. Recovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Adrien returns home and is stuck in bed while he heals, and Marinette learns something new about her partner.

They arrived at the Agreste  Mansion. Adrien had de-transformed, but Ladybug hadn’t. She rang the doorbell.

When Natallie, Adrien’s father’s assistant, and Adrien’s primary caregiver opened the door, she saw Adrien and her eyes widened and her mouth hung open. She quickly recovered, donning her usual cold look, demanding to know what happened.

On the way over, the couple had decided to be mostly honest, and tell her that a dog controlled by and Akuma had attacked him while he was walking home.

She waved Ladybug away, thanking her and took Adrine inside. She took Adrien to his room and left to tell his father.

Adrien sighed, knowing what his dad would do. He would hire the best doctor and buy the best medicines. He would coddle Adrien from a distance for his own sake, not for Adrien’s. He wouldn’t let his leg scar because he wouldn’t be able to model anymore if it scarred.

Gabriel Agreste flew into Adrien’s room followed closely by Natalie. Mr. Agreste  examined Adrien’s leg quickly before snapping his fingers, signaling the doctor to enter.

The doctor treated Adrien, promising no scarring, as long as he rested and didn’t go anywhere. Adrien groaned. He was bedridden, meaning no school, no Chat Noir, and no Marinette.

He watched Natalie and the doctor leave the room. His father hadn’t even stayed the whole time the doctor was fixing him. Not that it really mattered, Adrien thought. Nothing happens without his knowledge anyway.  He layed back in bed and looked at the ceiling. He had nothing better to do.

 

The next day, Marinette walked to school alone. She was worrying about Adrien  since she hadn’t seen him after she had dropped her off. She had hoped to see him at school, but that didn’t look like that would be happening anytime soon. She sat through class, but wasn’t really paying attention. Her eyes kept drifting back to the empty seat in front of her.

After school the next day, having still heard nothing from Adrien, Marinette decided to go and visit him.

His house was a huge three story cream house with grey shingles on the roof. It had a stone wall that was over one story tall and a metal fence on top of it. It was more than a little intimidating. It wasn’t like she had never been to his house before, because she had, multiple times as both Ladybug and as Marinette. The difference was that she had never gone alone before. She never had the confidence.

Gathering her courage, she rang the bell and waited. It wasn’t long before Natalie opened the door.

“Hi!” Marinette said, smiling and raising her hand to wave, “I’m Marinette, one of Adrien’s friends. May I see him?”

“Adrien is not feeling well. Come back later.” Natalie started to close the door, but paused when Marinette said.

“Wait! Could you please let me see him? I am really worried, and I’m sure-”

“Master Adrien is not taking visitors. Have a good day.” She then completely closed the door. Marinette was stunned, but was still determined to see Adrien. She ran around the corner and yelled “Spots on!”

Dressed as Ladybug, she swung up the building and landed on Adrien’s bedroom window. Through it she could see him reading a book on his bed. She knocked on the window, startling Adrien, causing him to drop his book. She pushed open the  window and stepped inside the room.

“Hey Adrien. How’s your leg?”

“Ladybug! My leg is fine. The doctor said there wouldn’t be any scarring.Thanks for visiting me. I have been ordered to say in bed until my leg heals properly. Father won’t let me go to school, or anywhere but the bathroom. I’m bored.” Adrien said this last sentence with a pout, and if he had his cat ears on, they would have been back.

“I’m sorry, Kitty. That must be hard.” She sat on the side of his bed. “I tried to come in through the door as Marinette and they said you weren’t taking visitors. I knew that wasn’t true, not if it was your choice, so I decided to let myself in.” Adrien leaned over and rested his head on Ladybug’s shoulder. They sat in silence for a while and Ladybug started to absentmindedly run her fingers through his hair.

The silence was interrupted by a low rumbling noise. Both Ladybug and Adrien froze.

“Did you just-” Ladybug started, Adrien suddenly sat up, covering his face with his hands. “Oh my god, you did!” Ladybug said getting excited, smile spreading across her face. “You just purred!” she was laughing now. “You really are a cat!”

“I can’t help it! It just happens when I am really happy now. It has been happening for a couple of years. Hey, I got my miraculous about when this started to happen. I bet that has something to do with it.”

“Huh, I wonder…” She trailed off, smile reappearing. She opened her yo-yo, revealing a mirror. She held it so the light reflected to a spot on Adrien’s bed.

His eyes widened in fear. He turned away with a visible effort to Ladybug, pleading. Showing no mercy, with an evil smile, she moved the light back into his line of sight. His eyes snapped to it, pupils dilating. He froze, body tense, and slowly started to lean forward.

Slap! He smacked the ground where the light had been moments before. He lifted his hand, expecting his prey to be there, but it wasn’t. He lifted his head again  and saw it farther away. He again ducked his head and slowly leaned in and pounced!

Gone. Dang.

Adrien came back to his senses long enough to close his eyes and turn away. “Stop, Mari! No more!”

Ladybug was struggling and failing to contain her laughter at Adrien’s struggles. “Fine!” She consented, putting away the mirror. “I am definitely going to try that while you’re in your suit though.” She said with a wink when Adrine opened his eyes to glare at her.

“Well? You figured out my ‘quirks’, what are yours? You eat plants or something?”

“Hmm… well first of all ladybugs don’t eat plants, they eat the aphids off of the plants. But i’m not sure. I didn’t know this was a thing before now. We can ask Tikki. Spots off.” Marinette was back in her usual outfit with her bag. Out of it she grabbed a cookie and gave it to Tikki who floated down to recieve it.

“Thank you, Marinette!” Tikki asid, eating.

“Well,” Adrien commented, “at least Tikki has some manners. Plagg just demands food and complains when it doesn’t come fast enough.”

“I’m sorry, but you take sooo long! A kwami could starve!” Plagg whines, floating over while patting his stomach.

“Plagg, be nice!” Tikki scolded, and Plagg just grunts.

“Tikki, Adrien says that he thinks that his cat-like tendencies are some sort of side-effect of the miraculous. Is that true?”

“It is, Marinette. The side effects are always tendencies of the animal each miraculous is modeled after. Adrien has cat tendencies, you will, or do have ladybug ones.”

“Like what? Start craving sweets and aphids? Am I going to grow wings?”

“You won’t grow wings, Marinette. Each Ladybug is different, but there are some common ones. No one Ladybug has all of these, but most had more than one. The most common one being eating aphids off of leaves, yes,” This got several shivers and disgusted faces around the room. “hibernating in the winter, and… um…” She looked around as if nervous or embarrassed. Maybe both. “They release pheromones.” Tikki looked down, while the humans were dumbstruck. Plagg wasn’t surprised as he had heard this conversation so many times with so many different heroes. He had also seen it in action.

“So your saying i’ll smell? Like what?” Marinette asked confusedly and a little panicked.

“You’ll smell good, Marinette. People will gravitate towards you during the  ladybug’s mating season. Especially men. During the winter and the rest of the time, it won’t affect anything. You may not even have that one. It was more rare than the others.”

“OK, so if I have it, I will just have boys clinging to me at school… That will be weird, but I suppose I could get used to it.” She paused. “What about Adrien? Would he be affected?” Adrien and Marinette share a glance. They want a relationship, but don’t want to be rushed by hormones.

“Don’t worry. Adrien won’t be affected. None of the Miraculous wielders would be, as long as they wear their items. We can’t fight an Akuma if our heroes are… preoccupied.” Marinette and Adrien  blush and look awkwardly away from each other.

All four freeze when they hear footsteps heading towards Adrien’s room, and a hand on the doorknob.

Slowly it starts to turn…


	14. Back to School

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Mostly a continuation of the cliffhanger last chapter. Marinette and Adrien go back to school and see Alya.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am sorry that this wasn't up yesterday. I had the day off school because of Memorial Day, so I forgot what day it was. I am sorry. My upload schedule isn't changing.

All four freeze when they hear footsteps heading towards Adrien’s room, and a hand on the doorknob.

Slowly it starts to turn…

“Adrien… your father has asked me to tell you that your modeling gigs have been rescheduled for after you recover.” Natalie paused in the doorway, noticing the open window. “Adrien…” She sighed, “Don’t leave your window open. You could catch a cold.” She crossed the room to close the window.

Adrien forced himself to calm down. Ladybug was fine. He wasn’t caught. “Sorry Natalie.” He told the woman as she closed the window and locked it.

“Get some rest. Goodnight, Adrien.” She recommended before leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Adrien sighed, and looked out of the window again to see Ladybug wave at him before swinging away. He smiled despite himself.

 

The next week came fairly slowly, as both Marinette and Adrien missed the other’s company. Adrien was home alone(except for Plagg) in his room and Marinette without him at school and on patrols. That didn’t matter anymore, though, because Adrien was coming to school today.

Marinette was getting ready for school when she saw a limo pull up in front of the house. She smiled and hurried herself along.

By the time she had made it downstairs, Adrien was waiting for her in the kitchen with his cheshire cat grin. He held out his hand with a bit of a bow.

“My Lady, would you do the honor of accompanying me to school?”

“Of course!” Marinette grabbed his hand and he led her outside and they walked to school.

“What, you didn’t want to drive in your limo to school today?” Marinette asked jokingly.

“Nope. I wanted some fresh air after spending so much time in my room.”

The entire courtyard was buzzing with excitement, and many looking intently at their phones.

The couple walked over to Alya, who was surrounded by a crowd of teens, talking quickly. “Hey, Alya!” Marinette called, “What’s going on?”

“That last Akuma attack is everywhere! My footage is blowing up! It was wild seeing Ladybug kick butt in person.” She turned somber, “It’s too bad that Chat Noir got hurt though, and he wasn’t healed by Ladybug’s miraculous ladybug! I hope he’s okay. Nobody has seen him since the attack.”

“I’m sure he’s fine, Alya. Ladybug would have made sure of that.” He smiles at Marinette, then turns a little more serious and turned back to Alya. “Why did you just post it now, though, and not like, last week?” Adrien asked, upset that she decided to post it after everything he had said to her. He was touched by her concern for him, though.

“Well… I felt really badly, you know, because Chat Noir got hurt because of me, and respected his wishes to not post it. Recently though, I realized that this footage shows Chat Noir saving the day. If I showed this to the world, and told my story of how he had saved my life, maybe I can change how people see him. Change the whole ‘Chat is a burden on Ladybug’ thing.”

Well, that changes some things, Adrien thought. She did it to prove I am a nice guy who _can_ take things seriously.

Adrien smiled and said “I’m glad that you think that. Not many people truly understand Chat Noir.”

Alya smiled. “During the fight, the fight, after Chat got hurt, he snapped at me, yelled at me about putting myself in danger, and how it puts them in danger.” Adrien winces a little, being reminded of his anger. “Maybe he was right. I will try to be more careful in the future.”

Marinette grinned at her oldest friend, “I’m glad. I don’t want you to get hurt.”

*Ring Ring!*

The bell for class rang, and the courtyard started to empty.

“Hey, Alya.” Nino said.

“Hey, Nino!” She called back. Together the four students walked into class.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that this chapter was a little slow, and short, but more action and drama is coming. I promise. Hehehe....
> 
> I would like to give another shout out to FandomHarmony. She is one of, if not my best, friend. She was the one to convince me to start writing here. She has her own work going on on her site, so go check her out if you enjoy the tv show Supernatural and/or Harry Potter. Tell her I sent you. She is probably reading this chapter and these notes, and is likely to comment. So... Hi, R! You better upload the next chapter today!


	15. Once More Into the Breach

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Marinette, Alya and Nino hang out, and Adrien is stuck alone again.

The next day, Marinette was hanging out with Nino and Alya. They had been planning this for a long time, and she was excited.

“Thanks for letting us hang in your room,, girl!” Alya told her friend.

“Yeah, thanks dudette! This is super cool.”

“It’s nothing, really,” Marinette responds, slightly embarrassed by the complement. “Actually, I'm a little surprised that you didn’t bring Adrien along, Nino.”

 

“I tried. He said he had stuff to do. Modeling and other things his father told him to do. He couldn't leave.”

“Oh well… We can have fun without him.” Alya said.

“Yeah!” The other two kids cheered.

 

Back at the Agreste household, Adrien was practicing piano.

Adrien sighed, “I wish I could be having fun with my friends, but Father made me practice.” He mentions to Plagg sadly. “Maybe next time.”

Just then, and explosion sound outside. Adrien quickly ran over to the window to look outside. There was a huge crater in what used to be the park. Inside the crater  was an Akuma. It was a red and black winged figure, holding what looked like some kind of bow.

“Kim?” Adrien whispered. It was Kim, a guy from school. Kim was big and buff. The body builder, football player type. And now he was an Akuma. Adrien had to do something, but Ladybug would probably not be able to help because Marinette was with Nino and Alya. The likelihood of her being able to sneak away from Alya’s careful watch was slim to none.

He was on his own. Fear slowly seeped into his bones. He wouldn’t have his partner. He wouldn’t have anyone to rely on. What if someone got hurt, or he needed her help? What if he got hurt again, or even killed? Who would protect the people? Who would protect Ladybug without him? Would Hawk moth win? What would happen to the world if he did?

Adrien’s breathing was erratic and he was frozen to the spot. Plagg noticed and did something he didn’t normally do. He tried to reassure him. They were  partners too, after all.

“Adrien, it’ll be OK. It is only one Akuma. Besides, you have me. Chat Noir can totally beat this guy.”

Adrien took large slow breaths to calm himself down. He needed to go, or they villain may try to hurt somebody. He was going to have to be enough. Failure is not an option. “Plagg, Claws Out.” Adrien said, and jumped out of the window.

* * *

 

Marinette was freaking out. She, Alya and Nino were running through the streets towards the latest Akma victim. She was looking for a way to sneak off and transform, but with Alya right next to her, there were no opportunities.

Finally, they  reached the park, and the teens stopped cold. Chat Noir was crouched low on the ground, one hand braced on the grass for balance, the other up, ready to strike. Flying above him was the Akuma. Marinette would later learn that his name was Dark Cupid. Dark Cupid was firing arrows at Chat, who was dodging them skillfully.

“An Akuma!” Alya yells cheerfully, pulling out her camera. Alya’s noise drew the attention of Dark Cupid who paused his battling to look at Alya. He turned and fired, hitting her square in the chest.

She let out a quick cry of surprise and pain, doubling over, before standing up again and turning towards her friends.

“Alya, are you OK?” Marinette asked, reaching out to her friend, very worried.

“Like you care, Marinette!” She snapped. “You don’t care about me, you only care about Adrien!” She said his name with such fury that it made Marinette flinch back in surprise.

“This isn’t Alya!” Marinette turned to Nino. “This must be dark cupid’s power. He must make people so angry that they lash out at everyone for the smallest reasons.”

“Must be; this isn’t like her at all.” Nino replied, watching his girlfriend yell at him with wide eyes. She knew her friend would be fine once the Akuma victim had been defeated. Marinette wasn’t paying attention anymore, though, because the fighting had resumed. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry that these chapters are so short. I am trying to make them longer, but I struggle with that sort of thing. Be reminded that this is my first work, so any constructive criticism is appreciated, just acknowledge my lack of skill. Lol. I hope you enjoyed, I upload every Monday until this story ends.  
> P.S. Thank you guys so much for all the Kudos. I really appreciate it. You're awesome.


	16. Alone

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chat faces his fears and an Akuma by himself

Chat Noir was afraid. He felt alone. In between attacks, he would sometimes look over at where Marinette was watching him, unable to leave Nino alone with Alya the way she was now. He knew that she wouldn't be able to help him.

    Seemingly randomly, too, Dark Cupid would fire a shot into the watching public. Chat tried to block all of those attacks, but he couldn’t be everywhere, and he couldn’t save everyone. Thankfully the arrows didn’t seem to be doing any damage, they just got angry. Therefore, everyone should be OK once he defeats this guy.

    Chat Noir leaped into the air towards Dark Cupid. Cupid let another arrow fly, but Chat blocked it with a spin of the baton. “Cataclysm!” He yelled, and he aimed to grab the bow with his attacking hand. Unfortunately, Dark Cupid anticipated his attack, and Chat hit his quiver instead. The quiver disintegrated and fell to the ground. Reacting quickly, Chat twisted in the air and managed to scratch Cupid’s eyes.

As he landed, he saw cupid drop his guard as he closed his eyes and held his face in pain. Chat jumped again, taking advantage of the situation. He grabbed Cupid’s wings and held them together. Without the ability to fly, Dark Cupid and Chat on top of him fell to the ground.

    Chat Noir grabbed the bow that fell out of the villain’s hands when they landed. He had assumed the Akuma was there. He snapped the bow in half, and as expected a little purple butterfly flew out.

    Wait. Now what?

Ladybug was always the one to purify the Akumas. Could he even do it? He didn’t think so. He looked desperately at Marinette, who returned this worried look before Chat re-trained his eyes on the butterfly.

    It was trying to fly away, but there was no way he would let that happen. He jumped into the air and easily caught it in his clawed hands.

    He had to hold the butterfly until Ladybug showed up, but the damage to the park and the civilians wouldn’t be reversed until it was purified. That ment that Marinette needed to find some way to leave Nino and Alya before Alya was fixed.

    Chat Noir risked another look at Marinette, who gave him a nod. She understood what needed to happen. He nodded back and quickly turned and ran down an alleyway.

    “Where is Ladybug?” Nino asked. “Chat Noir had to take down that Akuma by himself! How is he supposed to purify it and fix the people without her?”

    “I’m not sure, Nino.” Alya said bitterly, “Maybe she was stuck doing something and she couldn’t get away. Or she doesn’t care anymore about us powerless people.”

    “That’s not true! I-” Marinette stopped herself. She couldn’t say anything to reveal her identity. “I just remembered! My parents are sure to be worried about me. I’m sure they saw the Akuma on the news and are looking for me. I got to go!” Before Alya could retort, she ran back the way she and her friends had come, leaving Nino alone with Alya.

When she was out of sight of her friends, she started to go in a different direction. Away from her house, and towards her partner.

Chat hadn’t really been sitting for very long, but it sure felt long. He was sitting on a roof holding the evil purple butterfly in his cupped hands. Eventually, Ladybug showed up and ran over to him, apologizing profusely.

 

“It’s alright, Ladybug. I know you would have been there if you could have been. At least I was home and able to jump in to help. If I had been hanging out with you guys, then maybe neither of us would have been able to get away.” He offered his still-closed hands to Ladybug. He opens his hands and the butterfly flies out, but before it could get very far, Ladybug caught it in her yo-yo and purified it.

Chat offered his fist this time and asked, “Pound it?”

“Really? But that signifies our teamwork and I didn’t exactly do much to help you today.”

“Yes, you did. You were what kept me calm during the battle. Without you…” He paused, then continued, changing the subject a little. “Like you, I suffer with… confidence issues.” He noticed her confused expression, smiled sadly and explained. “I act confident and self assured as both Adrien and Chat Noir. And while I am more free as Chat, I still doubt myself sometimes. I worry I’ll mess up of my black cat luck will catch up with me someday. I don’t know, but I panic. It probably doesn’t help that I don’t have many people truely close to me.

“I have you and Nino and Alya. That’s it. My father doesn’t care, and I am never good enough for him. That sure doesn’t help my confidence.” He sighed and turned to look at Ladybug. “At least I have you, Marinette.”

Then he did something bold. He kissed her.

It felt good.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I know that I didn't include Hawkmoth's reaction to the akuma being defeated, but I could'nt find a very good spot to put it in this one. Also sorry about the fight scene. I am trying to get better at describing and choriographing longer fights, but I am still new at this. I may go back and edit it at some point, but I am already late on posting this chapter. I hope you enjoyed it anyway.


	17. Drama

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> More romance development and some drama

Marinette woke up in her room to see Adrien standing over her. She smiled at him, and patted the bed next to her, shifting to give him room to sit. “Hey, Kitty.” She said sleepily, reaching up to pet his head. She smiled again when he fell face first onto the bed, the deep rumbling of his purr coming from his chest. They just sat like that  for a few minutes before she said, “I guess we should get ready for school, huh?”

Adrien, face still in his pillow responded by saying, “I suppose so, M’lady.” He sat up and gave his girlfriend a kiss. Man, it felt great calling Marinette Dupain-Cheng his girlfriend. They had finally agreed to it the night he kissed her.

Marinette giggled, kissing him back before mussing up his tidy hair. She stood up and went to her closet and picked up an outfit.

She turned back around and saw Adrien still sitting on the be, watching her the way cats often do. She giggled again. “You’re not watching me change, Adrien! Get out!” He sighed playfully and dragged his feet to the door. He smiled to himself when he had closed the door behind him. They were a couple. Finally.

* * *

 

When they finally made it to school, holding hands the whole way, Chloe stared at them in horror. It was like she was living her worst nightmare. Adrien and Marinette a couple? Never in a million years! No way someone so famous and handsome would choose someone so poor and boring.

“Adrien!” She yelled, no cute nicknames this time. She stormed towards him, fuming. “What are you doing around her? She must be twisting your head, making you believe whatever lies she is telling you. I’m so much better than her! What does she have that I don’t?”

Adrien pretends to think for a moment before saying, “Personality, a brain, a heart, and cute pigtails.” He turned to Marinette- completely ignoring Chloe look of anger, disgust, disappointment and horror- and kissed his newly declared girlfriend.

The entire courtyard was stunned. Everyone had been listening to Chloe’s rant, Adrien’s cool response, and the kiss. After a pause, everyone (except Chloe) cheered, whooped, and patted the new couple on the back. Even Sabrina looked happy for them, but was silent to avoid Chloe's wrath.  


Chloe ran off to hide in the bathroom. She pulls out her phone to call her father, and before she can react, a little purple butterfly enters it.

**Hawk Moth**

“Shadow Diva, I am Hawk Moth. Nobody listens to you, not even the boy you love. Get Ladybug and Chat Noir’s Miraculous’ and people will have no choice but to listen to you.”

“Thank you, Hawk Moth.” Chloe transforms into a purple featureless, human-shaped being. Where her eyes would have been was a pair of sunglasses. She held her Akumatized phone, too.

She lifted her phone to her ear and ordered two burly gorilla-like shadow-men into existence. “Bring me Adrien Agreste and Marinette Dupain-Cheng.” The Shadow Diva said into her phone, and the gorilla-men started moving.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Ok, so I have one final left of the school year, and so I won't have school to remind me when Monday is. Because of this, I will start uploading on Sundays. Sorry I forgot an upload last week, finals have been rough. Just holding out for Tuesday, then I am a senior! Woo! Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter, and I'll talk to you again next week(Hopefully).


	18. Together

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Ladybug and Chat Noir work together to take down the latest villain.

Students screamed and ran as two hulk-like men made of shadows stepped into the courtyard. Adrien and Marinette noticed and gave each other a look. They both knew that this was the work of an Akuma and they figured they knew who it was too. It didn’t really matter who it was, though. They needed to help.

    The problem with that was all of the other people around. They needed somewhere to change. The safety of the people came first, though, and they started to direct the panicked students away from the school.

    Before long, they were facing off  against the shadows. They hadn’t managed to change into their suits, so they were stuck like this for now. The creatures hadn’t been moving much, just observing, almost like they were looking for something. Or someone. Their eyes locked on the couple and they roared in tandem. The noise was somewhere between a lion and a bear. They then charged straight at them. The monsters closed the distance before they could react.

“Look out!” Someone yelled off to their side and suddenly Alya jumped in front of one of the monsters.

    “No!” Marinette cried, as her friend was tossed aside by the brutish beings. She landed heavily on her side on rolled to a stop some distance away. Alya struggled to get up for a moment, but couldn’t. “Alya!”

    Marinette focused back on the monster facing her just in time to see it lunged at her. She jumped to get out of the way, but she wasn’t fast enough without her suit on. The gorilla man grabbed Marinette around the waist and began to drag her back the way it had come. She desperately twisted around to call Adrien’s name.

    Adrien, however, had his own problems to deal with. He was crouched low, arms bent, ready to dodge an attack or to strike should he see and opening. If he had been wearing his suit, his cat ears would have been flat against his head. He hissed at the monster, more of a reflex than anything else, but looked up when he heard his lady call his name.

    “Marinette!” He called. His lady, his _girlfriend_ , was being taken away. He had to get to her, but how?

    There was only one way he could keep dodging this guy and save Marinette. He needed his suit. After back-flipping to dodge yet another attack, he said his code phrase. He couldn’t worry about if the Akumitized victim could see him transform through the eyes of these things. “Claws out!”

    He back-flipped again, this time in his leather catsuit. Chat Noir jumped on the shadow he was fighting, and launched himself off of it towards the one holding Marinette. There was no way he would be able to reach them on this jump, so he rolled on the ground and kept up the chase.

    He reached it within seconds of landing. Jumping on top of its shoulders, he punched it in the head to get its attention. It stopped and slowly turned to look at him. It attempted to hit Chat, but he jumped out of the way.

    Marinette was watching him from the monster's fist, clearly worried for both herself and for him. He needed to free her so that she could help him. He had been doing too much by himself lately. He couldn’t fight another battle alone, not against two enemies. He needed his Ladybug.   

Chat Noir jammed the end of his staff into the large hands of the shadow gorilla. He used it to pry its fingers apart enough for Marinette to squeeze out. She fell to the ground, landing in a roll. When she looked up again, she screamed “Look out!”

Chat Noir turned, but it was too late; a huge fist slammed into him. It was the second creature. He had forgotten about it for a second.

He bounced on the ground, twisted and landed in a half -kneeling position with a hand on the ground for balance. Cat ears back, tail lashing, he let out a warning yowl.

Suddenly Ladybug appeared by his side, laying a hand on his shoulder. They would handle this one together.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry this chapter is so short. The next one is really long and I needed to break it up a bit. This was one of the better breaking points. Sorry for the bit of a cliff hanger there. See you next week.  
> P.S. If FandomHarmony is reading this, get on writing the next chapter of An Angel in Witches Robes.(I know you have been busy, just reminding you to keep on it.)


	19. Secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The heroes finish the fight against Shadow Diva, but Alya learns a few things.

Alya hurt all over. What had happened? She had been at school, then these huge shadowy figures had shown up. A stampede- She sat up suddenly.

Ow. Bad idea. She had been leaving the school during the stampede, but had seen Marinette and Adrien in trouble and had dove in to save them. She had been thrown clear across the yard. Great.

She tested her body. Nothing seemed broken, but she had plenty of cuts and bruises and what felt like a sprained ankle. Hopefully no concussion.

Wait

Where were Marinette and Adrien? She looked around then noticed Adrien facing off with one of the shadow figures and Marinette was caught by the other one.

“No!” She tried to scream but it came out a hoarse whisper. She listened as Adrien screamed Marinette’s name. Then it happened.

Adrien said something- she was too far away to hear what- and glowed for a second before re-appearing in Chat Noir’s suit.

Alya was dumbfounded. Adrien was Chat Noir? How? Since when? How had she, the author of the Ladyblog not known this? He went to her school!

Alya watched as Chat freed Marinette, and get knocked away by the second shadow. Then Marinette said something and appeared by Chat’s side as Ladybug. Of course! Why wouldn’t her best friends in the world be Paris’ heroes? But why hadn’t Marinette told her?

She watched the pair fight the shadows with practiced ease, each knowing where the other was and where they would be. They were there when the other needed them, and they covered each others weaknesses.

A few minutes later, both creatures were laying on the ground, defeated. The pair conversed for a moment before running in the direction the beasts had come from.

A twinge from her ankle reminded Alya that she needed help. She started to crawl in the direction of the street.

* * *

 

Ladybug and Chat Noir had more difficulty finding the akuma victim than they thought.

All the lights in the hallways were broken and either not working or flickering and sparking. That by itself made things difficult because Ladybug couldn’t see very well. Luckily, Chat, being a cat, has night vision and was able to guide them, just with more stops at Ladybug trips. That wasn’t the only problem.

Clearly this Akuma could do more than make the large gorilla-like shadows they had fought before, it could also make smaller, faster enemies. These ones looked like small monkeys. They jump around the hallways making them hard to follow and fight and they could see just fine in the low light. To make matters even worse, they, like the shadows from before, were featureless purple-black creatures making nearly impossible to see in the darkness.

Needless to say, Ladybug and Chat Noir had to stop several times and were ambushed even more. After probably ten or fifteen minutes of searching, they finally found Shadow Diva.

She was in the auditorium, sitting in an armchair on the stage. “Took you long enough.” She said, watching them enter. “My shadows give you some trouble? I’m glad. Let’s meet some more!” She lifts her phone to her head and orders some more shadow minions. Out of her phone come two flying monkeys, a gorilla shadow, and about five more of the small fast monkeys from the hallways. But at least now they could see.

Ladybug and Chat Noir crouch down and jump. They both manage to avoid the fast monkeys on the ground and grab the flying ones. They were able to fly them into the walls by pulling on their wings like a parasail. Once the attackers from above were knocked out, they turned to see the small monkeys coming towards them.

Ladybug pulls out her yo-yo and Chat grabs his staff. The monkeys started to jump at them from all sides, but the heroes just hit them aside. With space to move, and some light so see by, Ladybug was a lot more help. One of the monkeys after being hit jumped up again and grabbed Chat’s back and clawed him with its sharp claws, and bit him at the back of his neck.

Chat cries out in pain, and rips the monkey off of him and throws it across the room. The monkey doesn’t move.

“Chat! Are you OK?” Ladybug asked, now facing off against the gorilla who had been trying to find a way to get them without hurting his companions. That wasn’t a problem for him now. He was making his way slowly towards Ladybug, each step shaking the auditorium floor.

“I’m fine, M’lady” Chat pulls himself up, wincing as the new wounds on his back moved. The back of his suit was shredded by the monkey’s claws. “We need to beat her. We need to save Chloe from Hawk Moth.”

Chat dashes towards the gorilla creature and jumped on its back like he had the last one. This time, Ladybug called “LUCKY CHARM!” and she gets a key. “What is this for?” She looks around, and sees the light and sound room for the stage. She ran to it and the key fit in the lock.

“Cover your eyes, Chat!” Without even questioning, Chat jumps far away from the creature and covers his eyes. Ladybug ran up to the controls and pushed the lights up to the maximum. This blinded both the gorilla and Shadow Diva. Both the enemies roared, voices mixing as they rose, and then stopped. 

When Ladybug’s eyes adjusted to the new lighting, she noticed that the gorilla had disappeared. I guess shadow creatures can’t exist in bright light. Shadow Diva sat on the throne, covering her eyes and rubbing them. Chat ran over to her, grabbed her phone and smashed it. Ladybug purified the Akuma and they were left standing next to Chloe Bourgeois.

“Ladybug? Cat boy? What are you doing here?”

“You were Akumatized, Chloe.” Ladybug tells her, “You started quite the ruckus at school, and you got Alya- Alya! We forgot about her! You're fine, Chloe, bye!” Both Ladybug and Chat Noir leave a stunned and slightly confused Chloe behind in the auditorium.

They ran through the magically fixed hallways into the courtyard. They looked around where Alya had landed and she was nowhere to be seen.

“Maybe she left, after she got hurt? I didn’t see her videoing anything during the fight.”

“Good idea, Chat. Lets go tell the people that everything is fine.”

After a fairly short report was taken, and they were told that Alya had gone home by some classmates, they went to her house.

Ladybug and Chat Noir knocked on Alya’s door and asked to see her when her mother answered. She readily said yes, knowing how much her daughter loves Ladybug and said it might cheer her up to see her hero. She told them that she had come home with a sprained ankle and a very poor mood. That Alya wouldn’t tell her what was wrong.

That worried the heroes, Alya’s leg should be better now that the lucky charm had been used, so they weren’t that worried about that. They wondered what had upset their friend.

“Hey, Alya.” Ladybug said as she slowly opened her friend’s door. “You OK? We heard that you got hurt and wanted to check on you.”

Alya was on her bed, facing the wall. When she heard Ladybug’s voice, she froze, then slowly turned towards her. Her face was a mix of sadness, betrail, anger and recognition. Her cheeks were shiny from tears.

“Hey Ladybug.” Alya said slowly, “Chat Noir. No. I am not OK. I learned something that I can’t ever un-know. Something that I don’t know if I should laugh, cry or scream.” She looked Ladybug dead in the eyes and said, “ I saw everything. I stepped in to save my friends from the Akuma’s creatures, and I was thrown aside. When I woke up and looked for them, I saw them.

“They were fighting the creatures.” She takes a breath, watching Ladybug and Chats faces change as she continues her story. “I know who you are, Marinette, Adrien. I just don’t know why you didn’t tell me sooner.”

Alya stopped, and continued to stare at her friends. Ladybug and Chat Noir looked at each other. Neither quite sure what to do. Finally, Ladybug said, “You’re right. You know who we are and I am sorry that we didn’t tell you, but we didn’t even know who each other were until a few weeks ago. We started dating because we learned the truth. I mean, I would never have been able to ask Adrien out if I hadn’t known he was this dork.” She smiles at Chat who smiles back at her, then she turns serious, “I’m sorry that we- that I never told you. I didn’t even tell my parents. I didn’t want one of you to be akumatized and know where I lived. I wanted to protect you from other Akumas that might try to use you to get to me.

“And… I guess I was worried that your obsession with Ladybug and with the blog that you might…” Ladybug sighed. “I’m sorry. I don’t want to lose our friendship. At least now you know, and you can get the inside scoop with Ladybug.”

Alya sighed. She couldn’t stay mad at her best friend. It will definitely take some time to get back to the trust they had, but she was Marinette, and Ladybug. She was a good person and didn’t mean to hurt her.

 “Fine. You have to give me all the deets though. I need an interview from both of you, and I need to know how you got those abilities. Obviously that last part is for me, not for the blog. I promise to not share your identities with anyone else, but can we please tell Nino? He deserves to know, and it doesn’t feel right as his girlfriend to keep something this big from him.”

Chat smiled. “Sure thing, Alya.  We can let the cat out of the bag for Nino.  He’ll be so excited.” The girls just roll their eyes and Alya asks, “You’re sure this is really Adrien? He makes cat puns?”

“Pawsitive.” Ladybug said with a wink and Chat laughed.

“Yes! My Ladybug made a cat pun!” Chat cheers, fists pumping in the air.

Ladybug just rolled her eyes again trying not to smile and said, “We should go before any of our parents get worried. I’ll see you guys at school tomorrow.” She jumps out of Alya’s window and heads for home. Chat gives Alya a two fingered salute, and does the same.

d does the same.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, guys. I am going to be heading to China tomorrow and staying there for about two weeks. Because of that, I won't be able to upload. Sorry guys, see you in 18 days!


	20. Nino

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Nino is let in on the secret.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, sorry for the long wait. I just got back from China two days ago and I have spent a lot of the time back sleeping. I thought that even though it wasn't a Sunday, you guys deserved a chapter. I'll try and post one tomorrow too.  
> I tried to edit my writing more this time than I have in the past, so there should be fewer errors. If you do find an error or two, I'm sorry. I am still really tired from all the jet lag. Enjoy.

Before school the next day, Marinette’s parents were worrying over her. They fussed, concerned that another Akuma attack would happen. Marinette assured them that she would be fine, that it hadn’t ever happened before and that she was fine.

Marinette was nervously walking to school with Adrien today. She was unsure of how Nino would react to the truth and how Alya would act around them.

When they saw that Nino was already talking to Alya, they were a little concerned. Nino spotted them and waved them over, excitedly. “Hey, dudes!” Nino said, “Alya mentioned that you had something important to tell me, and I am super stoked to hear it!”

Ok, so she hadn’t told him yet. Good. That was good. Now they could tell him in the way that they wanted to. “Well…” Marinette started, “There really is no easing into this, is there?” She looks at Adrien and then at Alya. She took a deep breath before continuing. “I am Ladybug.”

Nino freezes, not sure what to do. “...You’re Ladybug...? How?” He turns to look at Alya. “You knew about this? For how long?” 

“I found out yesterday during the akuma attack. I saw them both change.” She replied.

“Both? So… wait… do you mean that…” He stares wide eyed at Adrien. “That my best friend is Chat Noir?”

“Pawsitively.” Adrien says with one of his Chat Noir smiles. “I have wanted to tell you the truth since I became him, but Ladybug and I had made a promise to each other to never tell each other or anyone else our identities to protect everyone. We just happened to have our identities revealed to each other a month or so back. That was about when we started dating.”

“That’s why you guys suddenly started hanging out so much. I mean, I knew you were dating, but… man it all makes sense now.” He thought for a moment, before asking, “But why tell me now? What changed?”

“Well,” Marinette told him, “After Alya figured it out, we didn’t want to leave you as the only one in our friend group that didn’t know. You have the right to know. Besides, I could use the help with coming up with excuses as to why I have to leave so suddenly all the time. Mine are always terrible.”

The other three laugh. “They were!” Alya said while still laughing. “How on earth did we not figure this out sooner! You were always making terrible excuses, you and Ladybug sound the same, and you wear your hair in the same exact pigtails!.” She calmed down some, and continued, “You did change your personality a little though. Ladybug was more sure of herself, and you were always a bit more clumsy and awkward- especially around Adrien.” That caused Marinette to blush a little bit. “I guess that made it a little bit harder to tell that you were the same person.”

“She isn’t the only one.” Nino said, teasing his friend. “You changed your personality too, Adrien. At school you are always so calm and proper, but Chat is so flirty, childish and, let's be honest here, he wears a black leather catsuit with a bell. The two personalities could hardly be any further apart.”

“Hey, man.” Adrien said, teasing back. “Don’t dis the bell.

*Ring!* *Ring!*

“Speaking of bells.” Nino grins. The group starts to head to class. They do all sit near each other anyway. “You guys need to show me how you do your things after class.” Marinette and Alya lock eyes and roll them at exactly the same moment. Why were they so worried again? This was Nino, he thought this stuff was amazing.

* * *

 

Class was boring as usual, but Adrien was just enjoying having his friends around. That was the whole point of going to a school instead of being tutored at home. He loved hanging out with his friends, and if he had to sit through boring classes then so be it. Adrien and Alya had also switched seats so that both could sit next to their significant other. Sitting next to Mari was the best.

“So, dude and dudettes, can I see the suits now?” Nino asked after they had left the school. “Do you keep them in your bags? How do you keep them from being seen? How do you put them on so fast?”

“Woah, Nino, slow down.” Alya said to her boyfriend. “I am sure they will explain everything.”

“First things first, I guess.” Marinette opens her purse and says, “Would you mind introducing yourself, Tiki?” A little red blur flew from Marinette’s bag.

“Nice to officially meet you, Nino and Alya. I am Tikki, the Ladybug Kwami. I am the Kwami of creation and life. I am an immortal being that exists to choose and assist every Ladybug hero.” She pauses, looking around for something. “Plagg, get out here and say hi! I am not going to explain this by myself!” Nino and Alya stared wide eyed and frozen.

Slowly Plagg pokes his head out of Adrien’s shirt pocket. He says “I don’t wanna.” and disappears back into Adrien’s pocket. While rolling his eyes, Adrien just pulls Plagg out with two fingers. Plagg is sqwerming and trying feebily to escape Adrien’s grip. His struggling caused Nino and Alya to both relax a little and even give a light chuckle. If these creatures could be defeated so easily, and acted so childish, they probably weren’t too dangerous. At least not to them. Besides their friends wouldn’t do anything to hurt them.

“Hi, i’m Plagg.” Plagg tells his audience in a monotone voice, completely done with everything. “I’m the Kwami of destruction and death. Tikki and I are polar opposites in both jobs and personality. She is way too up-beat and cheerful.”

“Anyway,” Marinette said, “These are Kwamis. Kwamis are little creatures who may not look like much, but are very powerful. They can float, obviously, they can phase through objects, they live in jewelry pieces called Miraculous’ and they are the ones that create our costumes. My Kwami, Tikki, lives in my earrings, which is why I wear them all the time. Unless I wear them, Tikki disappears and I can’t become Ladybug. Chat’s is his ring, which is why Adrien wears his all the time.

“But you guys were expecting us to put on our suits, so Tikki, Spots On!” They stood once again dumbfounded staring at Ladybug who was in place of Marinette (Obviously).

“Duuude!” Nino exclames. “It really is true. You really are Ladybug.” She smiles at Nino then all three of them turn to Adrien.

“My turn.” Adrien smiles. “Plagg, Claws out.” Chat Noir looked at Nino and laughed. “Love the face, dude.” Nino.exe has stopped working. After seeing Chat Noir, his mind was blown. His mouth hung open and his eyes were uncomprehending. Alya even waved her hand in front of his face to no effect. “Anything else you guys want to know or see?”

“Yeah, “ Alya said. “Chat Noir and Ladybug kissing. I need it for my blog. And myself.” She winks. Ladybug just rolled her eyes and looked at Chat. He was giving her the cat eyes with his cute smile. She sighed and nodded. Chat smiled even wider and they both leaned in and kissed.

“Duuuude.” Nino said again, finally coming around from his shock. “You guys really blew my mind. Can I watch you guys fight next time? I promise to stay a good distance away and I won’t do anything crazy or stupid. I promise.”

The heroes shared another unsure look. “I guess, as long as you promise to be careful-” Ladybug was interrupted by a scream. She and Chat whipped around and saw what looked to be a huge action figure. “I guess that’s our cue, remember what we said. Stay out of the way and safe.” Ladybug flies on her yo-yo towards the villain.

“Be careful. Remember our  last conversation, Alya.” Chat said seriously before vaulting away.

The two remaining teens ran up to the end of the alleyway to better watch the fight.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, for those of you that care, I had a lot of fun on my trip. I got to see the Great Wall, and the Terracotta warriors. They were both incredibly impressive and it was a once in a lifetime experience. I am happy to answer any questions about either the chapter or my trip in the comments below. See you tomorrow, hopefully.


	21. So it begins part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Our heroes finally figured out Hawk moth's identity. They bring along some backup and confront him, but it doesn't go quite how they planed.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I am so sorry that it has been so long since I uploaded the last chapter. I have just been busy with vacations and dealing with the death of my grandfather, and the start of school in addition to just not feeling very motivated to write or post anything lately. This may change now that I am getting back into the swing of school and work. We'll see. Thanks for your patience!

A few weeks later, Nino and Alya are woken up by their best friends in the middle of the night. Ladybug got Alya and Chat got Nino. They told their friends that they had some news. Both Nino and Alya were a little confused and worried about how sad their friends looked. They all met up a few minutes later in an alley.  


"The news is that... we finally figured out who Hawkmoth is." Chat says, looking at his feet.

“That’s good, right? You know who he is, so you know where he is, right? You can beat him. Why do you look so sad?” Nino asked.

“Hawkmoth is Gabriel Agreste. Adrien’s dad.” Ladybug tells them, and Chat’s head dips even lower.

“Duuude, that’s messed up. Your dad is the crazy villain mastermind who keeps trying to take over Paris and take your Miraculous’?  What is wrong with him? What’s his goal? He has practically everything.”

“No…” Chat speaks up. “I know what his goal is. Master Fu said that if someone were to use wield the Ladybug and Chat Noir Miraculous’ at the same time that they would be granted a wish. He wants the wish. He wants to bring my mother back.” There was an uncomfortable silence as everyone let that information sink in.

“So… Your dad wants to bring your mother back from the dead? Why is that a bad thing?” Nino asks.

“Because if he does, then someone else will randomly die. Someone else’s mother. Someone’s sister, someone’s daughter. We don’t know who it will be, but someone else’s life would be taken. Maybe not even only one person. Maybe even more people would die. We don’t know what or who, just that it would be very bad.” Ladybug responded.

“Well then, you had better stop him!” Alya said, breaking another silence.

“We will, but we can’t do it alone. We need your help.” Ladybug held out two Miraculous’ in her hands. One looked like a fox tail necklace and one was a bracelet with a turtle design on it. “Would you like to help us take down Hawkmoth?”

“No way!” Alya said, clearly very excited. She grabbed the fox Miraculous and quickly put it on.

“Rad!” Nino said at the same time, grabbing the turtle bracelet and putting it on just as quickly. Suddenly two new floating Kwamis were before them.

“I am Trixx, the Miraculous of illusion.” Trixx was, similar to Tikki and Plagg, a cute chibi-like creature. She closely resembled a fox. She was mostly orange with some white streaks and a bushy fox tail.

“I am Wayzz, the Miraculous of protection. We are here to serve you.” Wayzz had the look of a turtle. Light green body with a darker green shell. His eyes were a light yellow.

“Awesome!” Both of the new Miraculous wielders say at the same time. Then Alya asks, how do we put on our suits?”

Trixx responded by saying, “It is a codeword, like the creation and destruction Miraculous’. My code phrase is ‘Let’s pounce’.” Alya quickly repeats the phrase and transforms into Rena Rouge. She was wearing an orange suit with a spot on the front, covering her chest down to her thighs. She has two long pointed ears coming off of the top of her head. She also had a fox tail, and was holding a flute.

“My phrase is ‘Shell on’ “ Wayzz told Nino. He also promptly repeats the words and becomes Carapace. He was wearing a dark green outfit with a hood. The sides of the hood have marks resembling turtles’ eyes and a pair of goggles over Nino’s real eyes. There were several lighter green hexagons on his chest similar to the plates on a turtle’s shell. Carapace also has a shield that looks like a turtle’s shell. This shield when not in use, rests on Carapace’s back.

Both Rena Rouge and Carapace were staring at each other and themselves in excitement. They were going to be heroes like their best friends!

“Great. Now that you know how to put the suits on, dodging and the fighting kinda comes naturally.” Ladybug told them. “Your Kwamis help with that. They also help with your special move. This can only be used once per transformation, and shortly after you use it your Kwamis will be too tired to maintain the suit and you will change back.

Rena Rouge, your special move is called Mirage. You play your flute and an energy ball comes out of the other end. This creates an illusion of your choice. Your specialty is creating distractions and cover. 

Carapace, your special move is called Shell-ter. You can create a spherical force field to keep villains away from you and anyone by you when the shield is summoned. Your job is to protect us. If you see someone that we don’t see, guard our backs.”

“Cool!” Both Carapace and Rena Rouge said at the same time. “We’re going to defeat Hawkmoth!” Carapace finishes. Their smiles drop when they remember who he is. They shoot Chat Noir with a worried and pitying glance. His father is a supervillain who has been trying to kill them for years. Harsh.

“Well… I assume that he is in the Agreste Mansion, right? He would probably have like, a secret room or something that he hangs out in.” Rena Rouge states.

“It is probably in his office.” Adrien said. “I was never allowed to go in, and he sure spends a lot of time there. I guess he never noticed my absence during Akuma attacks is because he too was busy causing them.” He sighed, “Let’s go stop Hawkmoth.” He jumps away towards his home. The others share a concerned look before following him.

As the group jump over rooftops around the mansion(Carapace being carried by Rena Rouge because his suit isn't meant for jumping distances), they notice a large window on the top floor of the mansion. “Huh, how have I never seen that window before? I don’t know where in the house that would be, so it must be the secret room.” Chat said, sounding a little sarcastic.  


They burst through the window, completely shattering it, and find Hawkmoth standing there, facing them. He wasn’t wearing his usual purple outfit though. He was wearing a scarlet hood and coat. “I was wondering how long it would take you to find me, Ladybug and Chat Noir.” 

Three of the four heroes were glaring at him, and battle ready. Chat Noir, though, was just standing there, any small hope that they had been wrong was shattered like the window. He didn't know how to react or how to feel. “I have to say that I am a little disappointed." Hawk moth continued, "You took far longer than I expected, though I am surprised to see you brought help. The fox and turtle miraculous I see. So who are they, hm? Perhaps they are those friends of yours from school, Adrien.” The group froze. They hadn’t expected Hawk moth to know who any of them were. 

“What were their names? Marinette, Nino and Alya?” Silence again as they didn’t know how to respond to that. “It’s a shame, really. I quite like you, Marinette. I see why my son spends so much time with you.

“Who we are is none of your business. We are here to defeat you and take your miraculous back!” Rena Rouge shouts. Hawk moth just chuckles slightly. 

“Really?” He asks condescendingly. “And if I were to tell you for a fact that you and your fancy new powers aren’t enough to save you?”

“What are you talking about? We have you outnumbered.” Ladybug demands.

“Better count again, little bug.” Hawk moth steps back a few steps into darkness as several other figures who couldn’t be seen before step into the light.

There were about five of what were clearly Akumas. When the group saw the ones in the front though, they were taken aback. It was Marinette’s dad-  _ Weredad _ , Alya’s dad-  _ Animan _ and her sisters- _ Anansi _ (older sister Nora),  _ Sapotis _ (Ella and Etta), and Nino’s brother- _ Christmaster _ (Chris). They were surprised not only at seeing their loved ones akumatized, but also that he knew to target them. Hawk moth must know all about their lives in addition to their identities. This really wasn’t good.

“How long?!” Chat shouted into the darkness were his father had disappeared. “How long have you known? Why did you have to torment me like this?” He was crying now. “Is this why you kept me at a distance? Why you never gave me the time of day? Why then, have you never come after me if you knew who I was?”

The akumas started a slow advance on the heroes, taking their time, or cautious it was hard to tell. “Chris…?” Nino asks.

“Nora? Ella? Etta?” Alya worries.

“Chat...” Ladybug started, “I know that this isn’t how we saw things going, but we need to focus on freeing our families. Then we can go after your father.”

Chat Noir closed his eyes, took a deep breath, opened his eyes again with a bit of a glare and said “Let’s free them.” Chat attacked first by running straight at Weredad. 

At least these were villains that they had faced before. Sure, Alya and Nino haven’t seen any of them close up, or have had to fight their loved ones before, but they seemed to be doing alright.

Nino and Alya were fighting back to back, Carapace hitting at Sapotis clones with his shield and blocking aerial attacks from Christmaster and Anansi. Anansi was trying to get at Carapace but was avoiding Rena Rouge who was trying desperately to knock the propeller hats off of the real Satpotis twins to free them.

Ladybug looks around the room quickly trying to figure out what to do. The number of Sapotis was growing rapidly because they had found a fridge in the corner and had promptly eaten all the food. Ladybug noticed, though, that all the akumatized villains had the same odd red outfits that Hawkmoth was wearing. She also realized that Hawkmoth had never before sent multiple villains at them at once.

“There must be another villain with the power to akumatize multiple people.” She whispered to herself. “Which means that if we don’t find them soon, they could keep making more villains! Chat!” She called his name loudly, grabbing his attention from the newly defeated Weredad. Marinette's father was sitting very still, unsure as what he should do. “There is another akuma that makes other villains! I need to find them. Help Carapace and Rena Rouge!” Chat nods his understanding and races over to start fighting Christmaster who had been firing giant gumballs from a huge toy robot at Carapace.

Ladybug set off to find Hawk moth and this mysterious other akuma.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Hey, I am still stumped as to how to end this next chapter, so let me know if you guys have any ideas. I won't be able to update again until it is done, and like I said at the begining, my modivation is kind of failing. Any suggestions may make the ending come out faster. Thanks.


End file.
